SB
on Game of Thrones: Episode 6.2 (Blog
16 for 5/3/16)
The Return of Jon Snow
Initial Reaction
At the
conclusion of the second episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones, we saw the resurrection of Jon Snow. Even though there was a fair amount of
discussion about the possibility of this major character returning to the
series, I was not expecting to see Jon Snow come back this soon. Further, I was also not expecting to see Jon
Snow come back in the same form.
I thought that if Jon Snow
were to come back to Game of Thrones,
it would be Jon Snow’s personal identity or soul in the body of another human
or animal (and, therefore, with an actor other than Kit Harrington). Contrary to my expectations, Jon Snow (and
Kit Harrington) returned to Game of
Thrones at the end of episode 6.2.
Connections
to Christianity
While watching the
scene of the resurrection of Jon Snow, I made a few connections to other books
and films. The scene of Jon Snow’s
resurrection reminded me of the classic story of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ (as discussed in John Bowker’s World
Religions).
Similarities
in Duration. Bowker
explained how the character Jesus Christ was brutally murdered and came back to
life about two days later. Similarly, the character John Snow was brutally
murdered (in the tenth episode of the fifth season) and came back to life (in
the second episode of the sixth season) about two episodes later.
I know that, in the Game of Thrones universe and in our
actual universe, the time between John Snow’s death and Jon Snow’s resurrection
was more than two days. However, I
thought that this observation (i.e., the connection that Jesus came back about two
days after he died and Jon Snow came back about two episodes after he died) was
rather funny and worthy of sharing.
Visual
Similarities. Also,
Jon Snow looked just like Jesus Christ at the end of the second episode of the
sixth season. No, I have never seen
Jesus Christ in person. Yes, I am aware
that there are many depictions of Jesus Christ in art that do not align with
the white Jesus with the long, dark hair and beard that most Americans and
Westerners are familiar with.
However, John Snow does look just like these
latter mentioned depictions of Jesus Christ because John Snow has the Jesus hair
and beard. More importantly, Jon Snow
had the wounds (on his chest and midsection) from being impaled and many
depictions of Jesus Christ’s resurrection show Jesus with similar wounds (on
his chest and midsection).
As can be seen, Jon
Snow, who already looked a lot like Jesus Christ, was also covered in wounds
and, similarly, came back about two episodes later. I am not claiming that Jon Snow is Jesus Christ and I am not in the
process of creating a religion where Game
of Thrones is an authoritative text and George R. R. Martin is the leader. Again, I just thought that these connections
were hilarious and worthy of sharing. I
hope that some readers will share my amusement in observing these connections.
Tyrion
and Varys
It
was great to see Tyrion and Varys, again.
Not only did viewers get to see Tyrion unchain the two dragons, but we
were also provided with some insight into Tyrion and Varys’s relationship. Even
though Varys continues to tease Tyrion for being small and Tyrion continues to
tease Varys for having no penis, I believe that these characters have a strong
connection.
Regardless
of their disagreements, Tyrion and Varys respect each other’s intelligence and
company. I am looking forward to future
episodes and hope to see more coverage of Tyrion and Varys’s relationship.
Works
Cited
Bowker, John. World Religions. New York, NY: DK
Publishing, Inc., 2006. Print.
Great discussion about the connections between the likening of Jon Snow and the western perception of Jesus's aesthetic. I would definitely agree that there are some major allusions here. I have a feeling this is by design as the show is becoming increasingly driven by religion-based story arcs.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion about the connections between the likening of Jon Snow and the western perception of Jesus's aesthetic. I would definitely agree that there are some major allusions here. I have a feeling this is by design as the show is becoming increasingly driven by religion-based story arcs.
ReplyDeleteThe one moment that had me thinking was when Jon Snow was lying on the slab with the loin cloth--it made me think of the Shroud of Turin and all the mythology about it. But generally, George R.R. Martin tends to treat resurrections more like Frankenstein--think Beric Dondarrion or Gregor Clegane--than biblical myth. I am wishing the new book, Winds of Winter, was out because I have a hunch the rebirth of Snow ties into many other cultures than Christianity. We just haven't seen enough yet to know where they are going with it.
ReplyDeleteThe one moment that had me thinking was when Jon Snow was lying on the slab with the loin cloth--it made me think of the Shroud of Turin and all the mythology about it. But generally, George R.R. Martin tends to treat resurrections more like Frankenstein--think Beric Dondarrion or Gregor Clegane--than biblical myth. I am wishing the new book, Winds of Winter, was out because I have a hunch the rebirth of Snow ties into many other cultures than Christianity. We just haven't seen enough yet to know where they are going with it.
ReplyDeleteDr. Chown, thank you very much for making the connection to Frankenstein's Monster. I was very close to writing about Dr. Frankenstein, rather than Christ. Due to the visual similarities, I couldn't resist.
DeleteWe could also see his betrayal and the guarding of his body as loose ties to Jesus. (although, biblically, the guarding was done by Romans, not close followers of Jesus).
ReplyDeleteLike Dr. Chown, I'm more interested to see the directions taken with this. How will Melisandre be impacted? And will Jon Snow be the same or different (a la Clegane)?
I also made the connection between westerners perceptions of Jesus Christ and Jon Snow - The loin cloth was almost too much. Interesting insight into how the show is using resurrections.
ReplyDeleteI think the Tyrion and Varys friendship is very pure. They are both just trying to do what they can to make sure the realm is safe and their actions are not horrible. I would like to have a friendship with some like this because they are going to be truthful to one another and make sure that one another is not going to cause harm to themselves.
ReplyDeleteALSO, when Olly lures Jon to the spot where they stab him, there is a CROSS that has the word "traitor" on it. This is a heck of an idea, Sam.
ReplyDeleteHa, yep I can see the Jesus connections, especially when you add Kaelme's and Ace's comments. Tyrion paired with almost anyone decent makes for an interesting duo, though he and Varys are pretty great.
ReplyDelete